As the use of telephones and other devices becomes increasingly common in a variety of non-traditional and space-limited locations such as automobiles, in covered working locations, and as part of equipment cabinets, providing easy access while at the same time providing secure storage has become a problem evading an effective solution.
For example, in the prior art, automobile manufacturers have sought to integrate cellular telephones into automobiles by storing the telephone handsets within e.g., arm rests between seats. Access to such handsets is difficult and withdrawing the handset from its Storage compartment may present a safety hazard by requiring the automobile driver to divert her attention from the road to the handset.
Telephone handsets are often attached to other telephony equipment such as fax machines wherein the handset is placed hap-hazardously on the fax machine or on another surface. This arrangement often leads to the handset coming out of alignment with its base and unknowingly going off-hook so that the telephone line is no longer available to the fax machine and incoming faxes may be missed.
Similarly, handsets may be placed in difficult-to-reach areas or may be included as an integral part of a larger piece of equipment, such as an ATM machine, where the handset is relegated to a difficult-to-reach compartment.
The present invention obviates a number of these problems by providing a secure, quick-release mount and method for easily accessing a telephone handset or other device stored when not in use in such difficult to reach areas. The mount includes a pair of complementary slides, one of which may be attached to a telephone handset and the other to a mounting bracket secured to a permanent location. The slides and bracket include a latch and latching mechanism which, by holding the slides relative to each other, assure that the handset remains securely stored and in a retracted position, through a mechanical interlock, on-hook when not in use. By providing that the latching mechanism responds to an applied pressure, the mechanisms release the slides to freely move relative to each other and may automatically position the handset in a more convenient location to use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel secure, quick-release mount for a telephone handset.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel telephone mount that, with the application of pressure, releases a telephone secured in a retracted position and positions the telephone in an extended position for easy access.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel method of securing a telephone handset in a restricted environment while assuring that the telephone remains on-hook.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel method of securing a telephone handset when not in use, yet making the handset readily available in response to a push-pull action.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel handset detachable from a slidable mount.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.